Improved lightning-arrester for teleg raphs



Patented Aug. 7',4 v1860.

D. P. s. WAYS. LIGHTNING ARRESTER FOR TELBGRAPHS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID F. S. WAYS. OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 29,533, dated August 7, 1860.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, DAVID F. S. WAYs, ot

y Baltmore,in the county of Baltimore and State -of Maryland, have invented a new means of preventing injury in electric-telegraph offices by lightning; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thesarne, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication, in which- Figure l is an elevation ot' the apparatus I employ, which I call a lightning-arrester. Fig. 2 is a plan ofthe saine.

Similar letters of reference .indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A'lhecnly means hithertocommonly employed on electric-telegraph llines for the protection of the operators and instruments from injury" during thunderstorms has .been either to disconnect themain wires from thebindingscrews` on the magnetblock or to open the main circuit within the ofice by means ot' a cut-off;

but neither of these means edect more than the prevention of the destruction of they magnet, as they do not prevent the entrance into the oce of the atmospheric electricity, and the operator is exposed to great dan gerin their Iuse from contact with the wires and other conductors.

The object of this invention is to enable the operator within any office onan electric line, without touching any portion of the main circuit, to suspend and renew electrical communication between themain wires and the inte rior of oice or of the building in which the oice is situated; and the'invention consists in eectin g such object by the use of an electric current independent of the main line, substantially as hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to apply my invention to use, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings, in which I have exhibited such an arrangement of the apparatus for an office asis best adapted to show the whole -at one view without' so much regard to practical convenience; but it will be readily understood that the arrangement may be varied.

A represents the Wall of a building, in which the telegraphoice is situated. All the parts to the right-hand of this wall are supposed to be outside of the building and all the parts to the let'tto be within the oiiice..

B represents a base, to which all the parts outside of the building are attached.

O D are two upright brass columns, erected upon the base B at a few inches apart, and

serving to connect the ends of the main wires with the wires which complete the main circuit through the oiiice. As the arrangement of these wires andof the telegraph-instruments maybe the same as now used, and are supposed to be well understood, I have omitted them from the drawings to avoid confusion of parts.

E is anelectro-magnet attached to the base between thecolumns C D. F is the armature of the said electro-magnet, attached to a brass lever, G, which is attached tothe column D, with which the negative pole of the main wire is connected.

H is a fixed arm attached to column D for the attachment of a spring, I, which is connected with the armature-lever G for the purpose of drawing the said lever into contact with an arm, vJ, which projects from and forms part of the column G with which the positive pole of the main wire is connected, whenever there is no current, through helices ofthe electro-magnet. o

K K are two screw-cups 'secured to the base B, for the attachment of the wires of the helices ofthe electro-magnet to wires a a', which pass through the wall A to the battery which is employed within the building or office to operate the electro-magnet.

The parts of the apparatus outside of the building should be covered in such a manner as to afford them protection from the weather.

L represents part of the operating-table or of a separate table or base within the office.

M N are screw-cups secured to the table L and connecting with the battery which works the electro-magnet. The screw-cup Mhas connected with it the wire a a, and the other cup is connected by a wire, b, with the brass post P, which is secured to the table L, for the purpose of carrying the movable slide or plate Q .of the cut-oft Q R,"the fixed portion of which is carried by a similar post, S, connected with the wire a.

To place the oce in connection with the main wires, the slide Q is closed and the cir cuit from the battery through the helices of the magnet-E closed. The .Inagnetthen attracts the armature F and keeps the lever Gr out of contact with the arm J of the column C.' thuspreventing any direct communication o between the columns C and D, andl causing the `umn C, and, as the said lever is much shorter than the office-connections between the said columns, the electricity passes from C to D along the said leverwithout entering the oice or the building in which itis situated, and. hence the possibility of injury to the instruments or operators bylightning following the Wires into the oiice is prevented.

As the circuit of the electro-magnet E is entirely independent ofthe main circuit there can be no danger to the operator in opening the slidev Q, vand he may stand with the slide in his hand watching the progress of a storm and closing or opening the said slide to enable telegraphing to be resumed and left olf as the storm passes over or approaches the oftice.

To provide for the escape and dispersion of any excess of atmospheric electricity passing over the main line, I attach to the column C a sharp-pointed piece of steel, T.

The battery represented in the drawings is supposed to be a battery of a single cell, used onlyrforthe purpose of operating the magnet E; but on telegraph-lines on which local batteriesare used the said'magnet may be Wprked by the local battery at the oiice, thoughI prefcr to use the separate battery for the purpose of generating anentirely independent current of electricity by which to work the magnet E.

I do not confine myself to any particular construction of the apparatus employed; but

that I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Etl'ectin g the suspension and renewal of electrlcal communication between the main wires and the interior of a telegraph-Milice or building -in which such office is placed, bythe use of an electric current independent of the main line, substantially as herein described.

D. F'. S. WAYS Witnesses -.L H. ENsoD,

vWM. C. ARTHURs. 

